Why Roy Williams Is the Key Element to the Dallas Cowboys' Future Success

The Dallas Cowboy fanbase has taken a lot of abuse over the past decade. The evolution of the Internet and blogs just adds more ways for Cowboy fans to be told how they have not had a playoff win in over a decade.

After a 9-7 season and a loss to the Seahawks, Jerry Jones wanted to get this team over the top. He "fired" Bill Parcells (Parcells retired, but I'm not sure if he was tired), hired Wade Phillips, and gave Tony Romo a chance to prove himself.

After a miraculous 13-3 season, the Cowboys lost to the Super Bowl champions at home, and the abuse poured on.

Many fans, including myself, grinded their teeth and waited for the next season.

It was not what any Cowboy fan expected.

This team has enough talent to become a dynasty, yet they couldn’t even give the Eagles a showdown in the last game of the season or win the last game to ever be played at Texas Stadium against the Ravens.

Jerry Jones said there would be many changes after these travesties, and I believed him, but not even I expected the biggest change of all.

The release of Terrell Owens just blew my mind. Not only were there going to be severe salary cap penalties (around $10 million), but it seemed ridiculous to get rid of the guy who was your best player on offense.

I’ve come to realize, however, that even though ESPN had a lot of information, there actually were things going on in that locker room that the public did not know about.

Apparently, Owens would actually be the coach in a sense. He was a distraction to Romo, and a lot of the team wanted him gone. Wade Phillips never had a chance to take command of this team and was portrayed as this weak puppet of Jerry Jones.

Wade wanted to disprove that, as did Jones, and Owens went away.

Insert Roy Williams.

I have not had the privilege of meeting the star receiver—but I know everything about his background.

He went to a school I despise. No, not the University of Texas—this man was a Permian Panther out of Odessa.

My high school has been a tough opponent to the Panthers in the past and has actually kept them from state titles.

Roy Williams was one of, if not the best player Odessa Permian High School has ever had.

He went to the University of Texas and was an elite receiver for the orange and white. He was drafted by the Lions and was a star receiver there.

However, I lost track of him, but with all the talk about him being so good, it was safe to assume that this man was great at what he was supposed to do.

Then I saw an interview with Jean Jacques-Taylor of the Dallas Morning News, where he made a bold prediction.

He believes that the Cowboys are an 8-8 team, and even though, at a glance, one would think that the man has lost his mind, he explained his reasoning and gave me a fear of all fears.

Terrell Owens was the receiver that would require double coverage. He could stretch the field with his strength and speed, and you knew he was going to get over 1,000 yards each year with a minimum of 10 touchdowns.

Mr. Taylor has doubts about Roy Williams being able to do that. He states that he has not met anyone, other than Jerry Jones, who has said Williams is that kind of receiver. No one has said that this young man can play at that level.

As soon as I heard that statement, I immediately pulled up Williams’ statistics, and immediately I got a gray hair—and I’m not even 20 years old yet!

Roy Williams has only been a Pro Bowler once. He was an alternate who got to play because Torry Holt did not attend the game. He has passed the 1,000-yard mark only once in his five seasons. His highest single-season touchdown reception total is eight.

He has even had problems with ankle injuries, causing him to miss games. Though he played well on a team like the Detroit Lions, it still raises doubts in my mind.

The Dallas Cowboys gave up first, third, and sixth round picks for Roy Williams and a seventh round pick. This man has to step up. He needs to be that X-factor for the team. Tony Romo can spread the ball around as much as he likes, but the Cowboys need a true No. 1 receiver, and I don’t think it should be Jason Witten.

They need a guy who will sprint downfield and cause chaos for the secondary. Terrell Owens was that receiver. Roy Williams has made some acrobatic catches, but at the end of the day, an acrobatic 10-yard catch is worth less than a regular 10-yard catch that gets 15 yards after it.

As a Cowboy fan, I am tired of seeing highlights with no Super Bowl. I don’t care what they have to do to get those playoff wins, just get them. The 2007 Giants weren’t pretty, but they won.

It is up to Roy Williams now. He needs to step up and take his abilities to the next level. If he does not do that, then this will easily be one of the biggest busts in NFL history (to paraphrase Troy Aikman).

That makes me wonder whether or not the loss of Terrell Owens is more negative than positive in its actions.